The following reviews of Hugh Miles' Al-Jazeera: The Inside Story of the Arab News Channel that is Challenging the West are from the L.A. Times and the Guardian.

An excerpt from the L.A. Times:

... Yes, Miles says, Al Jazeera is pro-Palestinian, yes, it is anti-American, yes, it is pro-Islamic, but not in ways that are beyond the normal ties of nationality or the common bonds of religious or ethnic identity. In effect he is saying that this 9-year-old network reflects its base and constituency much as American and other Western networks reflect theirs.

That not all Al Jazeera's viewers trust the network will come as no surprise to Western news people, who have had their experiences being accused of bias. So relatively even-handed is Al Jazeera that in many Muslim quarters it sometimes is accused of being an Israeli or U.S. operation planted on Arab soil to promote anti-Arab interests.

And from the Guardian, by journalist James Buchan:

There is no doubt that a new public is being created in the Arab world, similar to that made by the transistor radio 50 years ago and exploited by Gamal Abdul Nasser's Saut al-Arab ("Voice of the Arabs"). Cairo Radio galvanised what used to be called the Arab masses, and shook those stately kings and presidents in their airport lounges before leading the Arabs to defeat in war in 1967.

Arabs themselves like to say that they think of their honour before their liberty or even the material comforts of their lives. In that case, al-Jazeera seems to me less a force for democracy in the Arab world than for a vibrant Arab nationalism of a neo-Nasserist or even - why not? - a neo-Saddamist character. This nationalism may bring freedom and prosperity in its wake. All we can say is that it didn't last time.

Here's a few related al-Jazeera postings on this blog:

Canada slapped over al-Jazeera restrictions (Jan. 28)

Qatar looking to unload al-Jazeera (Jan. 31)

Who's who in Arab media world (Feb. 6)

Here's a review I wrote of Control Room for CTV.ca (July 21/04)